Hardware Upgrade Tip of the Day #20



*1. TEST YOUR BIOS FOR Y2K          
  
OK. No more kidding around. Now is the time to test your PC for 
Y2K-readiness. This millennium thing is just around the corner. 
Fortunately, you can perform some of the fundamental checks 
without spending any money. Download the Norton 2000 BIOS Test 
and Fix freeware utility from the FileWorld site at 

http://www.fileworld.com 

This tool will test your BIOS and system clock for Y2K trouble 
and will also let you browse a database matching your hardware 
setup to known problems.


*2. SHARING WITH THE IMAC--PART 1 OF 2          
  
With the tremendous success of Apple's iMac, the odds are greater 
than ever that you'll find both PCs and iMacs living together as 
friends in your office or your home. What can you share between 
these two platforms? Without the help of an IS department--not a 
lot. However, there are two things you should be aware of if you 
find yourself in the company of these two different species of 
computer. I'll mention one today and the other in tomorrow's tip.  

First: Farallon (http://www.farallon.com/products/internet/) is 
currently the only company that offers a phone line-based home 
networking product that links PCs and iMacs together. It's called 
HomeLINE, and it allows you to share files, printers, 
and an Internet connection.


*3. SHARING WITH THE IMAC--PART 2 OF 2          
  
As I mentioned yesterday, your options are somewhat limited for 
sharing data between iMacs and PCs. However, it may be to your 
advantage to leverage your peripheral devices and use them on 
both your iMac and PC. To do this, focus on USB-based devices. 
The USB bus comes standard on both iMacs and new PCs. Several 
USB products--like Entrega Technologies (http://www.entrega.com) 
USB to SCSI Converter--work with both iMacs and PCs. For a list 
of iMac/PC friendly USB devices, check AllUSB.com 
(http://www.allusb.com).


*4. INTERNET PHONE TIPS--PART 1 OF 3          
  
Whatever happened to the Internet phone idea? Remember the 
concept of saving money by calling either another computer or an 
actual phone using your Internet-connected computer rather than 
a traditional phone? After some initial excitement, the buzz died 
down. Now we don't hear much about these products. Well, they are 
still out there and still interesting. With a few helpful 
hardware hints, you can save some money using these products 
without sacrificing much in terms of sound fidelity. 

First, make sure you have a full-duplex voice-capable modem. 
Internet phone software like Net2Phone, at 

http://www.net2phone.com 

will work much like a regular phone if you have such a modem. 
With a half-duplex modem, the software still functions, but you 
must click a button when you switch from talking to listening and 
back again.


*5. INTERNET PHONE TIPS--PART 2 OF 3          
  
Just as with voice recognition software, you should consider 
buying your own microphone headset for use with Internet phone 
products. These products already include a headset in the box 
(the manufacturer will send you a free one if you download the 
software over the Web). However, the headsets utilize cheap, 
low-quality microphones and speakers, and that negatively impacts 
your calls.  

Frequent callers will want to invest in a quality headset from a 
company like NCT Group at 

http://www.nct-active.com/heads.htm 

or Shure at 

http://www.shure.com 

The people you call will thank you.


*6. INTERNET PHONE TIPS--PART 3 OF 3          
  
How fast is your PC? If you have the option, run your Internet 
phone software on your fastest PC--preferably 266 MHz or better. 
The audio quality of the call will suffer on 100 MHz or slower 
systems--you'll hear pauses, hissing, and other annoyances during 
most calls. If you must run on a slower system, don't run any 
other applications during a phone call.


*7. TWO-STEP UPGRADE TO A FLAT PANEL DISPLAY          
  
If you're think of investing in one of those hot new LCD flat 
panel displays for your desktop, but you can't afford both the 
display and the special digital graphics board many panels 
require, check out Hewlett-Packard's Pavilion FX70 15-inch 
display at 

http://www.hp.com 

The FX70 supports both regular analog graphics adapters, like the 
one you undoubtedly already have, and several digital models. You 
can buy the panel first, and purchase a digital graphics adapter 
down the road when you've saved up more money.


*8. NEW SCANNER TIPS--PART 1 OF 3          
  
Scanners are cheaper than ever. For as little as $100, you can 
add one to your computer arsenal. They are no longer just a tool 
for graphics professionals. For these prices, you can use them 
for loading images to your personal Web page, digitizing 
business documents, and even as copiers (combined with 
your printer). 

Many scanners, like Visioneer's OneTouch 8600, offer more than 
one interface. Contact Visioneer at  

http://www.visioneer.com 

The 8600, for example, comes ready for a parallel port connection 
or a USB hookup. If you have these type of choices on your 
scanner (and your PC is USB-capable), go with the USB connection. 
It's more flexible than the parallel port and you don't need a 
pass-through device if you want to use another device (such as a 
printer) at the same time.


*9. NEW SCANNER TIPS--PART 2 OF 3          
  
Button, button, who's got the button? In an attempt at creating 
better usability, many scanner manufacturers have placed extra 
buttons on the tops (or sides) of their scanners. These buttons 
let you perform various functions (such as copying, printing, or 
posting an image to an e-mail message) by simply pressing one 
button. Agfa's SnapScan Touch is one such scanner; see Agfa's 
Web site at 

http://www.agfahome.com 

Whatever you do, don't assume that these preprogrammed buttons 
are your only options for various tasks. By tweaking the scan 
settings in software, you can tune your scanner for your 
particular environment. These changes may involve increasing or 
decreasing the resolution or adjusting the color settings.


*10. NEW SCANNER TIPS--PART 3 OF 3          
  
While a flatbed scanner remains the best choice for most users, 
you should consider the alternatives before you settle on one. C 
Technologies' C-Pen 200, for example, is a battery-powered, 
pen-size scanner designed for digitizing typed text line by line 
from a book or document. Contact C Technologies at 

http://www.cpen.com  

With an infrared port transfer, you can quickly send your scanned 
data to your PC, even directly into a Word document. Consider how 
you will use your scanner before you buy, and try to find one 
that best suits your needs.
